~ Frugal. Fashion forward. Fierce.

Pixie Cut Myths

When Anne Hathaway shorn her hair and revealed her post-Les Miserables locks at the Academy Awards a few years ago, she ignited a social media revolution. The pixie cut experienced resurgence. I have worn my pixie for almost two years in various incarnations.

Rocking the pixie

Before going under the sheers and experiencing the dreaded year-long re-growth stage, consider these pixie cut myths.

Pixie cuts are low maintenance.

I roll my eyes when I hear this myth. Before cutting my hair, I led a life characterized primarily with long locks. Pulling your unruly hair into a ponytail, top knot, or bun is low maintenance. Short hair will not equal management-free days when you can roll out of bed and look fabulous.

Pixies require lots of product. Every morning, I use my round brush, texturizing cream, and hairdryer to sculpt my hair. I use a lot of volumizing product to my fine hair. I smooth the unruly areas with a flat iron. I top it off with a lot of hairspray.

Bad hair days are an excuse to buy more hats.

See, the models on Pinterest use lots of product. You must use pomade for shorter locks. The hair will stay in the direction you train it, so there is little room for error. This is why I own several cute hats.

Too keep a pixie, you have to schedule regular monthly hair appointments. It’s a highly stylized cut that requires regular salon visits to maintain its shape.

As a side note, you must wash your hair every day if you have an oily scalp. The oil is very visible the second day, especially when it interacts with day-old product. There’s nothing worse than flat, greasy hair.

The only advantage a pixie has over longer styles – blow drying time.

Pixie cuts are all the same.

My pixie may not look good on you. I have a round face and thin, fine hair. My stylist takes this into account when she cuts my hair. Certain shapes will not look good on me. I love the back short (it’s hot here), and when it grows, it does this flat unruly sort of thing that is unflattering. We figured out that longer texturized bangs suit me well. As much as I love the thicker layered styles, my hair just won’t hear it. It won’t spike either. Okay, it does but in a cowlicky sort of way. Oh yeah, I have a really bad cowlick in the front and back. She has to compensate for that as well.

A while back, I shared a list of items that are investment pieces. Invest in a good stylist. Pixies are not easy to cut. I have seen too many poorly-cut styles or unflattering shapes. You don’t have to drop $200 on a cut but finding a good stylist is paramount.

This is what happens when you choose a bad stylist. Believe it or not, this was after significant growth.

Most women hate their pixies for a few reasons. The cut is unflattering, so they ditch the idea completely. The stylist didn’t adjust to their hair needs, and the cut is too difficult to style. Occasionally, the woman looks just fine and can’t accept the reality of short hair.

Find pictures of what you want, preferably from all angles, so the stylist doesn’t have to guess. Show

Just after a salon visit. much better than the previous picture.

the stylist. Be open to modifications. Ask the stylist for a tutorial on how to style your hair with the tools you have. A good stylist will not make you look bad.

Pixie cuts are not symbols of bravery.

I cringe when I hear women describe me as so brave for cutting my hair. It’s hair. Firefighting is brave. Saving someone from drowning is brave. Getting a haircut is not brave.

I understand that women have an unnecessary emotional attachment to their hair. They are afraid men will shun them if they cut off their hair, as if hair is their only beauty.

You may like your cut. You may not. You may not like the extra steps added to your beauty routine. In the end, your hair will grow back. Fashion is risk taking. Some risks work out. Others don’t. You’ll never know if you don’t try.